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Imagine, if you will, a wooded arena. The sun is casting its last dim rays on a modern cornucopia and fog is billowed into the area, controlled by the touch of a button. A girl, young but wise beyond her years slyly watches as the symbol of rebellion, the Mockingjay, rises in minutes.

Pretty cool, huh? That’s the basic layout of Michael Ostaski’s most recent video shoot, a Hunger-Games-themed extravaganza. Shot in New Mexico, the landscape resembles that of a Hunger Games arena – wooded, with small sources of water and weather that changes from hot to cold and back again in the blink of an eye. The set was brilliant, and bloomed and evolved as it was being built – the fog pipe that was in the final cut wasn’t always there, but through a flash of brilliance it was a spectacular layer of ambiance that added volumes to the atmosphere (figuratively AND literally!).

As great as the video looks, that’s not to say we didn’t experience a few setbacks in the filming. After the first take, our fire extinguisher ran out of extinguishing stuff, resulting in an exciting, communal fire dance until we could get the hose to the painting. Also, after the sun disappeared, it began to get quite cold (sort of like a real arena).

Through it all, we managed to come out on top with this beauty – check it out – and may the odds be ever in your favor.